#slamfind

[cityofchapin]

from "Breaking the Link"

by Doc Luben from SlamFind Hidden in the code is the novel that I lied to my girlfriend about writing while in real life I sat in my office Jack Torrence-ing the phrase “This will be over soon this will be over soon” in notebook after notebook after notebook fossilized deep behind a blessedly broken in link is the memory of my father helping the nurses hold me down while they tried to…

[equinox-vixen]

“There’s a theory that says you don’t exist unless someone calls and you respond.” In this video from SlamFind, sam sax, author of the chapbook All the Rage (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2016), reads his poem “Hydrophobia.”

[bostonpoetryslam]

“We take each other to every spot in our hometowns that’s ever stuck with us, and our histories braid together like my fingers do your hair.”

Tonight’s Boston Poetry Slam: Extremely Online Edition feature is Cassandra Myers! Here they perform “Quantum Entanglement” at FEMS 2019, in a video via SlamFind.

[sarcastic-feminist-witch]

Speak Like A Girl (Megan Falley & Olivia Gatwood) - "Princess Peach Speaks"

[doclubenpoetry]

Doc Luben - "So Many Songs About Rainbows" It has been a while since I have posted a new video. I’m proud of this poem in a queasy, difficult way. Thank you to @slamfind, to the always loving and supportive Queer Mic at #IWPS2017 where this was captured, and to the Grief and Remembrance Reading at #NPS2017 for providing the space, nurturing energy, and inspiration for me to write this.  Still a draft. Please take note of the content/trigger warning, especially this holiday time.  I miss you, friends. I hope to be more in touch. 

[whats-a-pj-blog]

He Said/She Said

He says he's no good with words, so he falls in love with a poet.

He says he doesn't deserve her, but she doesn't want anyone else

He cracks a joke with no punchline and she still laughs

She still laughs because she loves dry humor

That is to say, she hates the rain

He says he'll be her umbrella, and she falls in love again

She likes to joke that she is melting when it rains and he laughs because she is a witchy woman

She says she can't stop writing love poems and he says "Don't stop."

___ @whats-a-pj

[rebeccariveraa]

some selfies from the first ever FEMSlam in Cambridge, MA this past weekend. Our team Femmeyc made it to finals!

[miss-lee-lee-fan]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt65C5txqSA)

[mami-loves-papi]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKYSp8boL9s)

Safia Elhillo

damn please just listen please

[polasworld]

Loving you is taking all of the love I could never give myself and putting it to good use.

Healing by Nayo Jones

[bostonpoetryslam]

“There are some who believe that babies are born soulless, that the body waits for the ghost to enter as the spirit waits for a space to be made. When I think about this, I am barely four years clean, the scars in the pits of my elbows still visible, and my brother is handing me his newborn daughter. I think, is she in there? Where is her ghost? Where is mine?”

Tonight’s Cantab feature is 2019 Boston Poetry Slam team member Zeke Russell! Here he performs “This Space Intentionally Left Blank” at IWPS 2017 in a video by SlamFind. Look for some special illustrated chapbooks from each team member headed your way soon.

[heartmagician]

i've always liked to write but this year i am starting to take myself more seriously. i've just put out my first two short poetry zines! i haven't had any schooling or otherwise professional lessons. it's all love for words and passion. do you have any advice for an aspiring poet? when did you realize you were a poet and started taking yourself seriously? i really admire your work and style and the overall feeling i get when i interact with your work! thanks for putting your work into the world

it honestly sounds like you’re already on the right track, so i’m not sure how  much i can help, but regardless:

i started taking poetry seriously when i was 16 or so, but only started feeling wholly confident in my work & ability as a poet until around this time 2 years ago (to give you a timeline, i’m currently almost 22). it took a lot of patience & work to get to where i’m at rn, & i hadn’t had any sort of “real” schooling for it until this past year. you definitely don’t need it, though! 

the best advice i can give you has been repeated by many others over & over, but i’ll give it to you anyway. read as much as you can (& it doesn’t have to be just poetry: read fiction, read nonfiction, read Wikipedia articles, read whatever excites you & read it on your own terms). go to open mics, slams, readings if there are any near you (if you live near a college, there will most likely be all 3 of these events nearby!). always write down your ideas, whether that’s in your phone or a notebook, because even if you think you’ll remember it later: don’t risk it. give yourself challenges every once in a while: learn how to write a sestina, read at an open mic or slam, make a collage to go with one of your poems, etc. 

above all, everything & anything you do should be on your terms! if you have difficulty concentrating when reading, read short things, or take lots of breaks. if there aren’t any poetry events near you, or you don’t feel ready just yet, there are so many YouTube channels out there (i’m sure you already know about Button Poetry, but you should also check out Write About Now & SlamFind if you haven’t already—if there’s a specific poet you like, just type their name in YouTube & chances are there will be clips or even a whole recording of a reading they did somewhere). be a poet the way you want to be a poet. i feel very lucky to be in school studying writing, & i love it immensely, but not everyone has the means to or even wants to do that, & that’s okay. all you need to be a poet is love & passion, & you’ve already got both of those things

[words4food]

This Is Me Typing: Part 5

well well well … if it isn’t my favorite human on the planet

Thanks for clicking on this post. You’re magic. I don’t deserve you.

It feels like it’s been literal lifetimes since I last typed at you on this platform.

I published This is Me Typing: Part 4 back in June

wow so I basically ignored you for like an entire season

I’m trash lol

please forgive me

but also at the same time I’m not THAT mad…

[thereallukeocon]

Safe Words Poetry Slam Semi-Finals photo credit: @slamfind #poetry #poetryslam #safewordsslam #orlando #milkbar #semifinal #slamfind #NoE #luk (at The Milk Bar Lounge)

[stbot]

heya I hope you’re doing well!! :-) had the urge to watch some yt videos about poetry and poet interviews and I remember u recommending a video of spoken poetry or something a while ago but I can’t remember the title. do u still kno what it was? i have the sudden urge to watch it

Oops, sorry this is getting answered late, but hopefully you're still in the mood! The video I recommended was this one, which is kind of about CRJ but still very good!

If you're maybe interested in finding more spoken word, might I humbly suggest Button Poetry, or SlamFind, or the Brave New Voices youth poetry slam. They're pretty good places to start, and there are a lot of older pieces that still really hit.